Early River Civilizations

Mesopotamia ”Land between the Rivers” ► Fertile Crescent ► Euphrates and Tigris Rivers ► Rivers flood leaving mud or silt for crops ► Surplus of crops allowed villages to grow ► Multiple city-states develop

Environmental Challenges PROBLEMS ► Unpredictable flooding ► No natural barriers ► No natural resources SOLUTIONS ► Irrigation ditches ► Walls of mud bricks ► Trade for raw materials

Sumerian technology & invention (3300 b.c.) ► The wheel, the sail, the plow, use bronze ► Arithmetic and geometry ► Architectural innovations: arches, columns, ramps, ziggurat

► ► The 4,000-year-old ziggurat (temple tower) at Ur honored the moon god Nanna. A statue of the god once stood at the top of the temple and was washed, clothed, and fed by priests.

► Cuneiform-system of writing. Not pictographs ► Negative view of afterlife ► Polytheism – belief in many gods

Cont. ► Sargon of Akkad (2350 b.c.) defeated Sumer. Created first world empire. ► (2000 b.c.) Amorites invade and conquer mesopotamia. ► Hammurabi, King of Amorites, puts together code of laws (282) & displayed throughout empire

Hammurabi ► 080/~wldciv/world_civ _reader/world_civ_rea der_1/hammurabi.html 080/~wldciv/world_civ _reader/world_civ_rea der_1/hammurabi.html 080/~wldciv/world_civ _reader/world_civ_rea der_1/hammurabi.html

Egypt ► ► Nile River, flows northward into Mediterranean ► ► Longest river in the world (4,100 miles) ► ► River worshipped as a god ► ► Egypt was “gift of the Nile”

Egypt ► ► Nile flooded same time each year ► ► Kings were gods – Pharaohs ► ► Theocracy –rule based on religious authority ► ► Lower and Upper Egypt was united by king Narmer. (3000 b.c.)

Pyramids ► Belief that Kings rule after death. Burial very important. ► Use 2 million blocks that weigh at least 2.5 tons each, structure covers 13 acres

Sphinx ► “Which creature in the morning goes on four legs, at mid-day on two, and in the evening upon three, and the more legs it has, the weaker it be?” She strangled and devoured anyone unable to answer ► "There are two sisters: one gives birth to the other and she, in turn, gives birth to the first."

Religion ► Egypt was polytheistic ► Believe in afterlife ► Royal Egyptians were preserved by mummification – embalming & drying a corpse to prevent decay. ► Fill coffin with items for use in afterlife

► First they draw out the brains through the nostrils with an iron hook… Then with a sharp stone they make an incision in the side, and take out all the bowels… Then, having filled the belly with pure myrrh, cassia, and other perfumes, they sew it up again; and they steep it in mineral salt, leaving it under for 70 days… At the end of the 70 days, they wash the corpse and wrap the whole body in bandages of waxen cloth.

► Egypt developed hieroglyphics – writing system ► Write on papyrus (plant) reeds.

Hieroglyphics

Indus River Valley ► Mountains separate from world ► Deserts ► Ganges and Indus Rivers support providing fertile land ► Monsoons dominate India’s climate

Settlements/Buildings ► Planned cities (Roads, plumbing, walls

► Road system ► Advanced plumbing ► Bricked cities ► Prayed for safety ► Theocracy ► Worship Shiva ► Priests ► Sacred animals ► Trade (gold, silver, jewels) for goods ► Use River for transporting goods ► Strong central gov’t ► Trade w/ Mesopotamians

► Known as Harrappan civilization ► Known for city planning, advanced plumbing system, standard size bricks

Religion ► Worshipped Shiva, cattle, fertility images

Economic Life ► Farming, long-distance trade

China ► 1. Himalaya Mountains, Huang He (Yellow River) and Yangtze rivers, Yellow Sea, Deserts, plateau of Tibet ► 2. Flooding rivers, Isolation, supplied own goods, invasions ► 3. Walled Cities, palaces, tombs, settlements are now modern cities, farming, 1 st dynasties formed from settlements

China ► 4. warrior nobles & Peasants ► 5. Central Authority. Elderly have special rights. Women treated as inferior ► 6. Worshipped spirits of family ancestors, consulted gods through oracle bones

China ► 7. many written characters representing an idea ► 8. manufactured weapons bronze work, iron, roads, canals, coined money, blast furnaces ► 9. Embroidered silk clothing